Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Nuclear Safeguards

lord teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement in the letter of 28 February from Lord Henley to Lord Carlile of Berriew, that "As part of these discussions, both sides have agreed that the UK will have sole responsibility for its international safeguards obligations from the date of withdrawal", whether the Office for Nuclear Regulation will be the UK's safeguarding authority from the date of the UK leaving Euratom rather than at the end of a transition period.

lord henley: The Government is working closely with the European Commission to ensure a smooth implementation period for setting up an effective civil nuclear safeguards regime in the UK ready for withdrawal from Euratom. The precise nature of this implementation period, including the role of the Office for Nuclear Regulation (the ONR) in relation to nuclear safeguards during this period, is subject to negotiations with the European Commission. Although the outcome of these negotiations is not yet known, the Government’s strategy is to seek to include Euratom in any implementation period, in line with the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 11 January 2018. Furthermore, the European Commission recently published its draft text for an implementation period which proposed that the period will cease at the end of December 2020 and will cover all parts of the Euratom acquis. We would expect this to include the Euratom safeguards regime. Whatever the outcome of the negotiations on an implementation period for Euratom, the Government is confident that the ONR will be in a position to deliver civil nuclear safeguards to international standards on the UK’s withdrawal from Euratom.

UK Trade with EU

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit on UK supply chains; and how they plan to minimise potential disruptions.

lord henley: The Government is working towards a mutually beneficial outcome to the withdrawal negotiations. Nevertheless, a responsible government plans for contingency scenarios. The Department is actively considering all options in order to minimize disruption for UK supply chains. We continue to engage with UK stakeholders to understand their concerns and interests.As we leave the EU there is an opportunity for us to do far more to engage with the wider world beyond Europe where there is so much emerging innovation and opportunity. The Industrial Strategy builds on our strengths, creating strong foundations to meet the challenges of the future, and will help us make the best of our relations with Europe and beyond, helping to ensure that minimal disruptions are made to UK supply chains.This includes £16m, subject to business case, for an industry-led supplier competitiveness and productivity improvement programme to support a sustainable and internationally competitive UK supply chain and new measures under UK Export Finance to enhance support available for exporters and their supply chains. This builds on the extensive support Government has given to supply chains including £80m since 2013 for the Sharing in Growth programme focussing on the aerospace sector.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diplomatic Service

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL5413), how many UK-based staff there were at UKdiplomatic posts in (1) Asia, (2) the Americas, and (3) Africa, (a) before the staff savings made to fund the creation of 50 new posts in Europe, and (b) after those staff savings.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Total numbers of Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK-Based and Local staff at posts in Africa, Americas and Asia, on 31 January 2018, are listed below. Reprioritisation of resource from these regions to the Europe network will involve changes to 31.6 of these jobs. The answer to Parliamentary Question HL5876 provides further detail on the type of changes being made to front-line jobs in these regions. RegionFCOLocal Staff (31 Jan 2018)FCO UK-Based Staff (31 Jan 2018)Africa1758213Americas1070193Asia Pacific928232South Asia & Afghanistan1188161Total 4944 799

Diplomatic Service

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL5413),whether the staff savings being made in Asia, the Americas and Africa include (1) the planned closure of any UK diplomatic posts, and (2) the localisation of positions previously held by UK-based staff; andwhat is the breakdown of any such changes.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are not planning to close posts to fund the increase in resources to our Europe network, but the plans do involve some localisation of UK-based roles. We keep our network under constant review to ensure we have the right resources in the right locations to deliver current and emerging priorities; we do not expect the overseas diplomatic network to remain static. The answer to parliamentary question HL5876 provides further detail.

Diplomatic Service

baroness helic: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 February (HL5413),whether the proposals being developed to generate £4.2 million of savings from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office budget to fund the creation of 50 new diplomatic posts in Europe includes the sale of any properties in the UK diplomatic network overseas; and if so, in which countries any such property sales are being considered.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are not planning to sell properties to contribute towards the £4.1 million (revised estimate) that we are reprioritising to fund new jobs in the Europe network

Middle East: Christianity

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 November 2017 (HL2966), what is their assessment of (1) the Status Quo as it refers to the relations between the Christian Communities of the Holy Land with the governments of that region, and (2)Her Majesty's Government'shistoric and current responsibilities in maintaining and defending that agreement.

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 November 2017 (HL2967), whether they plan to undertake a detailed assessment of the Church Lands Bill which is being considered by the Israeli Knesset, and of the impact that Bill might have on the Status Quo of the Holy Land sites in Jerusalem.

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to undertake a detailed assessment of the Municipality of Jerusalem’s proposals to tax Church property and of the impact of those proposals on (1) the Christian presence, and (2) Christian institutions, including hospitals and schools, in Jerusalem.

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 6 November 2017 (HL2964), what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) the Church Lands Bill, which is being considered by the Israeli Knesset, and (2) the Municipality of Jerusalem’s proposals to tax Church property, on religious freedom in Israel.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: We encourage the parties to do all they can to work together to uphold the status quo at the holy sites in Jerusalem. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and our Consulate General in Jerusalem are closely following developments on both the Church Lands Bill and the Jerusalem Municipality Tax. We welcome the Israeli Government’s announcement that the draft legislation and tax collecting activities will be suspended to allow dialogue to take place, and the commitment given to maintaining freedom of religion. We expect all Church bank accounts to be unfrozen by the Municipality as part of this process.

Jerusalem: Churches

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the decision by the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem on 25 February to close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, what representations, if any, they have made to the government of Israel concerning the need to resolve the dispute between the Heads of Churches and the Municipality of Jerusalem in a manner that respects the Status Quo of Jerusalem and the rights of Christian communities.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv and Consulate General in Jerusalem are closely following developments, and have sought clarifications from the relevant Israeli authorities. We welcome the statement from the Israeli Government making clear its commitment to freedom of religion, its announcement of the suspension of tax collection actions, and the establishment of a team to formulate a solution on the issue of municipal taxes. We hope that this team will have a constructive and fruitful dialogue with the Heads of the Churches. We expect all Church bank accounts to be unfrozen by the Municipality as part of this process. We encourage the parties to continue to uphold the status quo in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem: Churches

the lord bishop of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they have had, or intend to have, with the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem following the decision of 25 February to close the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Consulate General in Jerusalem routinely meets representatives of the multitude of faith groups in Jerusalem. Our Consul General in Jerusalem last met the Heads of the Churches on 2 March.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the European Court of Justice decision on 27 February on the EU–Morocco Fisheries Agreement, they will meet with the new representative of MINURSO to expedite settlement of the Western Sahara status.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: My colleague, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, has met the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, former German President Horst Koehler, twice in the last two months and our Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Jonathan Allen, has met the new Head of MINURSO, Colin Stewart. They have underlined the UK's firm support for the UN-led efforts to find a solution to the Western Sahara issue. We note the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union on the EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement. This ruling now passes to the High Court of England and Wales, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this stage.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the UN sponsored peace process in Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government is clear that the UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties, mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254, remains the forum for reaching a lasting political settlement to end the conflict in Syria and we fully support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. The Syrian Negotiation Commission continues to engage constructively, in good faith and without preconditions. The Asad regime must now engage credibly in Geneva talks and Russia must use all the influence it can to ensure that it does so.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the progress made at the Geneva talks regarding long-term political solutions for Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government regularly discusses this topic, including at the UN Security Council, most recently when UN Special Envoy briefed the Security Council on 14 February. The UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties, mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254, remains the forum for reaching a lasting political settlement to end the conflict in Syria. We fully support the efforts of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. The Syrian Negotiation Commission continues to engage constructively, in good faith and without preconditions. The Asad regime must now engage constructively in Geneva, and Russia must use all of its influence to ensure that this happens.

Syria: Peace Negotiations

lord ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had at the UN Security Council in relation to finding a long-term political solution for Syria.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government regularly discusses this topic at the UN Security Council, most recently at the briefing to the Security Council by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on 14 February. The UN-led Geneva process between the Syrian parties, mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 2254, remains the forum for reaching a lasting political settlement to end the conflict in Syria, and we fully support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy. The Syrian Negotiation Commission continues to engage constructively, in good faith and without preconditions. The Asad regime must now engage credibly in Geneva talks and Russia must use all of its influence to ensure that this happens.

Salah Hamouri

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel in regard to the extended detention without trial of the Palestinian–French lawyer Salah Hamouri.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not discussed this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we remain concerned about Israel’s extensive use of administrative detention. According to international law, administrative detention should be used only when absolutely necessary for security purposes rather than as routine practice, and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and to either charge or release detainees.

Cabinet Office

Neonatal Mortality

baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity in (1) 2000–05, (2) 2005–10, and (3) 2010–15.

lord young of cookham: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 14 March 2018.The correct answer should have been:

​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. and I will place a copy of their letter in the Libraryof the House.Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to Baroness Tonge, dated 07 March 2018Dear Baroness Tonge,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions asking (a) whether the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity has decreased over the past five years (HL5969); (b) what was the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity in (1) 2000–05, (2) 2005–10, and (3) 2010–15 (HL5970); and (c) what was the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16, and (3) 2016–17 (HL5971).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Statistics on deaths are normally published using calendar years. Neonatal mortality figures are available for both the year the death was registered and the year the death occurred. Comparisons over time are more meaningful using death occurrences, to allow for delays in registering deaths. The latest year for which death occurrence figures are available is 2015 [see note 1 below]. The neonatal mortality figures for 2016 will be published on 14 March 2018 and the data for 2017 will be published in early 2019.Table 1 below provides the number of neonatal deaths and the neonatal mortality rates per 1,000 live births for England and Wales, for each calendar year from 2000 to 2015.Because the number of neonatal deaths each year is relatively small, there is likely to be some random fluctuation, and no single year since 2000 shows a statistically significant change from the preceding year. However, there has been a generally downward trend throughout the period. In the five years 2011-15, the lowest neonatal mortality rate was in 2014, and this was significantly lower than in 2011 and all previous years. The rate in 2015 was higher than in 2014, but is still significantly lower than in 2011 (taking into account rounding of the figures to one decimal place).NHS Digital is responsible for publishing statistics on NHS patient care in England. There is no widely accepted measure of neonatal morbidity, however trends in the admission of neonates to hospital may be useful information. Therefore, figures based on Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) have been given here.Table 2 below provides the number of neonatal finished consultant episodes (FCEs) and corresponding neonatal hospitalisation rate per 1,000 live births for England, for each financial year from 2000-01 to 2016-17, and the five-year periods 2001-02 to 2004-05, 2005-06 to 2009-10, and 2010-11 to 2014-15. Note that HES data include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1st April 2012 and 31st March 2013.Changes to the HES figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.There has been year on year fluctuation in the number and rate of hospital episodes for neonates over the period of interest, but with a clear overall upward trend. The hospitalisation rate in 2015-16 was significantly higher than five years before. However, as noted above, it is likely that the trend is influenced to some extent by factors such as changing clinical practice and recording.Yours sincerely,John Pullinger  Note 1:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/childmortalitystatisticschildhoodinfantandperinatalchildhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales Table 1: Neonatal deaths occurring in England and Wales, numbers and rates, 2000 to 2015 YearNeonatal deathsNeonatal mortality rateLower confidence limitUpper confidence limit20002,3353.93.74.020012,1373.63.43.720022,1263.63.43.720032,2643.63.53.820042,2093.53.33.620052,2273.43.33.620062,3253.53.33.620072,2483.33.13.420082,2613.23.13.320092,2053.13.03.320102,1232.92.83.120112,1352.92.83.120122,0422.82.72.920131,8712.72.62.820141,7622.52.42.720151,8382.62.52.8Neonatal deaths are defined as deaths of live-born infants at less than 28 daysRates are per 1,000 live birthsThe 95% lower and upper confidence limits have been provided. These form a confidence interval, which is a measure of the statistical precision of a rate and shows the range of uncertainty around the calculated rate. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. Source: Office for National Statistics  Table 2: Neonatal hospital episodes occurring in England, numbers and rates, 2000-02 to 2016-17 YearNeonatal episodes (FCEs)Neonatal hospitalisation rateLower confidence limitUpper confidence limit2000-0157,98396.395.597.12001-0256,09794.393.595.12002-0358,61097.396.598.12003-0464,574103.1102.4103.92004-0565,873102.7101.9103.52005-0669,000105.9105.1106.72006-0774,893111.0110.2111.82007-0884,755122.0121.2122.82008-0991,420129.1128.3129.92009-1096,005135.1134.3136.02010-11102,847142.2141.3143.12011-12101,577140.0139.2140.92012-13106,531147.6146.7148.52013-14109,509157.0156.0157.92014-15114,229164.1163.2165.12015-16114,420164.1163.1165.02016-17*116,573---2000-01 to 2004-05†301,70098.498.098.72005-06 to 2009-10†414,060120.4120.0120.72010-11 to 2014-15†532,149149.3148.9149.7Neonatal episodes are defined as counts of patients where there is a finished consultant episode (FCE) for neonates with an extended hospital stay immediately following birth, or an admission within the first 28 days of life. An FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.Rates are per 1,000 live births. The number of births per financial year has been estimated based on births in the relevant calendar years.The 95% lower and upper confidence limits have been provided. These form a confidence interval, which is a measure of the statistical precision of a rate and shows the range of uncertainty around the calculated rate. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures.* A rate for 2016-17 cannot be calculated as the number of births in 2017 is not yet available.† As a patient may have been in hospital in two consecutive years, the total per five-year grouping will not be equal to a sum of the corresponding five individual years. Source: NHS Digital and Office for National Statistics

lord young of cookham: ​The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. and I will place a copy of their letter in the Libraryof the House.Letter from John Pullinger CB, National Statistician, to Baroness Tonge, dated 07 March 2018Dear Baroness Tonge,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am replying to your Parliamentary Questions asking (a) whether the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity has decreased over the past five years (HL5969); (b) what was the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity in (1) 2000–05, (2) 2005–10, and (3) 2010–15 (HL5970); and (c) what was the incidence of neonatal mortality and morbidity in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16, and (3) 2016–17 (HL5971).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is responsible for publishing statistics on deaths registered in England and Wales. Statistics on deaths are normally published using calendar years. Neonatal mortality figures are available for both the year the death was registered and the year the death occurred. Comparisons over time are more meaningful using death occurrences, to allow for delays in registering deaths. The latest year for which death occurrence figures are available is 2015 [see note 1 below]. The neonatal mortality figures for 2016 will be published on 14 March 2018 and the data for 2017 will be published in early 2019.Table 1 below provides the number of neonatal deaths and the neonatal mortality rates per 1,000 live births for England and Wales, for each calendar year from 2000 to 2015.Because the number of neonatal deaths each year is relatively small, there is likely to be some random fluctuation, and no single year since 2000 shows a statistically significant change from the preceding year. However, there has been a generally downward trend throughout the period. In the five years 2011-15, the lowest neonatal mortality rate was in 2014, and this was significantly lower than in 2011 and all previous years. The rate in 2015 was higher than in 2014, but is still significantly lower than in 2011 (taking into account rounding of the figures to one decimal place).NHS Digital is responsible for publishing statistics on NHS patient care in England. There is no widely accepted measure of neonatal morbidity, however trends in the admission of neonates to hospital may be useful information. Therefore, figures based on Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) have been given here.Table 2 below provides the number of neonatal finished consultant episodes (FCEs) and corresponding neonatal hospitalisation rate per 1,000 live births for England, for each financial year from 2000-01 to 2016-17, and the five-year periods 2001-02 to 2004-05, 2005-06 to 2009-10, and 2010-11 to 2014-15. Note that HES data include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1st April 2012 and 31st March 2013.Changes to the HES figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.There has been year on year fluctuation in the number and rate of hospital episodes for neonates over the period of interest, but with a clear overall upward trend. The hospitalisation rate in 2015-16 was significantly higher than five years before. However, as noted above, it is likely that the trend is influenced to some extent by factors such as changing clinical practice and recording.Yours sincerely,John Pullinger  Note 1:https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/datasets/childmortalitystatisticschildhoodinfantandperinatalchildhoodinfantandperinatalmortalityinenglandandwales Table 1: Neonatal deaths occurring in England and Wales, numbers and rates, 2000 to 2015 YearNeonatal deathsNeonatal mortality rateLower confidence limitUpper confidence limit20002,3353.93.74.020012,1373.63.43.720022,1263.63.43.720032,2643.63.53.820042,2093.53.33.620052,2273.43.33.620062,3253.53.33.620072,2483.33.13.420082,2613.23.13.320092,2053.13.03.320102,1232.92.83.120112,1352.92.83.120122,0422.82.72.920131,8712.72.62.820141,7622.52.42.720151,8382.62.52.8Neonatal deaths are defined as deaths of live-born infants at less than 28 daysRates are per 1,000 live birthsThe 95% lower and upper confidence limits have been provided. These form a confidence interval, which is a measure of the statistical precision of a rate and shows the range of uncertainty around the calculated rate. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures. Source: Office for National Statistics  Table 2: Neonatal hospital episodes occurring in England, numbers and rates, 2000-02 to 2016-17 YearNeonatal episodes (FCEs)Neonatal hospitalisation rateLower confidence limitUpper confidence limit2000-0157,98396.395.597.12001-0256,09794.393.595.12002-0358,61097.396.598.12003-0464,574103.1102.4103.92004-0565,873102.7101.9103.52005-0669,000105.9105.1106.72006-0774,893111.0110.2111.82007-0884,755122.0121.2122.82008-0991,420129.1128.3129.92009-1096,005135.1134.3136.02010-11102,847142.2141.3143.12011-12101,577140.0139.2140.92012-13106,531147.6146.7148.52013-14109,509157.0156.0157.92014-15114,229164.1163.2165.12015-16114,420164.1163.1165.02016-17*116,573---2000-01 to 2004-05†301,70098.498.098.72005-06 to 2009-10†414,060120.4120.0120.72010-11 to 2014-15†532,149149.3148.9149.7Neonatal episodes are defined as counts of patients where there is a finished consultant episode (FCE) for neonates with an extended hospital stay immediately following birth, or an admission within the first 28 days of life. An FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.Rates are per 1,000 live births. The number of births per financial year has been estimated based on births in the relevant calendar years.The 95% lower and upper confidence limits have been provided. These form a confidence interval, which is a measure of the statistical precision of a rate and shows the range of uncertainty around the calculated rate. As a general rule, if the confidence interval around one figure overlaps with the interval around another, we cannot say with certainty that there is more than a chance difference between the two figures.* A rate for 2016-17 cannot be calculated as the number of births in 2017 is not yet available.† As a patient may have been in hospital in two consecutive years, the total per five-year grouping will not be equal to a sum of the corresponding five individual years. Source: NHS Digital and Office for National Statistics

Absent Voting

lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total number of postal votes issued in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland, for each general election from 2010 to 2017; and what were the comparative (a) percentages of the total poll in each of the four UK electoral areas, and (b) percentage increases in each region, at each general election.

lord young of cookham: The Government does not hold this information. The data required is provided by each Returning Officer directly supplying information on postal votes to the Electoral Commission, which collates and publishes it.The information can be found at https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/our-work/our-research/electoral-data/electoral-data-new

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid

baroness gould of potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for International Development (DfID) ensures that inclusion is taken into account in its development and humanitarian projects and programmes; and what is DfID's definition of "inclusion" in this context.

lord bates: The UK pledged to Leave No-one Behind as part of delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This means ensuring the inclusion of the poorest and most marginalised people for example girls and women and people with disabilities. The International Development Act (Gender Equality 2014) requires due regard to the impact on gender inequality before providing development and humanitarian assistance. In May 2016 the UK signed up to the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action to ensure people with disabilities will benefit from development and humanitarian assistance. DFID also works with implementing partners to improve disaggregation of beneficiary data by sex, age, disability status and geography wherever possible and relevant, including use of Washington Group questions on disability. Disaggregation helps DFID understand who is included and benefits from our development and humanitarian assistance.

HIV Infection: Discrimination

baroness gould of potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Global Disability Summit to be held in July will consider discrimination by association of people living with HIV infection, such as members of the LGBT community and sex workers, as part of its deliberations on stigma and discrimination.

baroness gould of potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Global Disability Summit to be held in July will address actual or perceived HIV status as part of its deliberations on stigma and discrimination.

lord bates: The systematic inclusion of people with disabilities in development and humanitarian action is a top priority for the Department for International Development. On 24 July, the UK will co-host the Global Disability Summit to increase action and investment, lock-in progress and share best practice. The summit aims to drive forward a step change in global efforts to eliminate stigma and discrimination against all persons with disabilities. This includes realising the rights of persons with disabilities that are often among the most excluded in society and those that experience “double discrimination”, including those living with HIV and members of the LGBT community. In line with the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the active participation of all people with disabilities will be at the very heart of the summit.The UK’s global HIV response prioritises those left behind by the huge progress made in recent years. For example, we are proud to be a founding supporter of the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund, which supports the grassroots response for inadequately served groups including men who have sex with men and sex-workers.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contribution the UK made to the humanitarian aid delivered by UN aid convoys to Syria at the beginning of March.

lord bates: To date, the UK has committed £2.46 billion in response to the Syria crisis, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis. Of this, £491 million has been allocated to United Nations agencies in Syria to deliver humanitarian assistance, including through aid convoys, to Eastern Ghouta and other communities in Syria.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Palace of Westminster

lord palmer: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what will happen to the various items, including green-shaded lights, computers, air conditioning units, microwaves, laptops, telephones and fridges, which are being temporarily stored in Boiler House Court.

lord mcfall of alcluith: Boiler House Court is used for temporary storage of items for disposal awaiting weekly collection by the House's Approved Authorised Treatment Facility.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Private Rented Housing: Licensing

baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consult local authorities on the re-introduction of a licensing system similar to that operating in London until the Deregulation Act 2015 came into force, to ensure that there is a record of short-term occupants of properties.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: We have no plans to do this. Local Authorities already have powers to act where there is a breach of planning control in respect of short term lettings.Requiring hosts to register with their local authority an intention to let their property on a short term basis would be overly bureaucratic, and would place unnecessary regulatory burdens on households. However, some accommodation providers have already restricted bookings to 90 nights per calendar year in London. We have asked the industry association to encourage their other members to adopt this good practice.

Mayors

lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 20 February (HL5546), what steps may be taken when a city mayor has abolished an overview and scrutiny committee.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Principal councils in England are required by statute to have at least one overview and scrutiny committee.Any concerns about the legality of a council’s actions should first be addressed to the council’s Monitoring Officer who is responsible for ensuring the authority complies with its legal obligations. Councils not complying with their statutory obligations can be challenged by way of judicial review.

Ministry of Defence

Type 45 Destroyers: Radar

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been any investment in a Ballistic Missile Defence upgrade for the Sampson radar on the T45 destroyers which will protect the new aircraft carriers.

earl howe: There has been some initial investment in support of investigating the potential for anti-ship Ballistic Missile Defence enhancements to the Type 45 capability. These investigations are ongoing and include assessments of the Sampson Multi-Function Radar. No decisions have yet been made.

Radar

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a requirement for a sovereign capability in radar development and production.

lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the requirement for a sovereign capability in torpedo design and production.

earl howe: The recently published Industrial Policy refresh explained that we would seek to protect the UK's long term operational advantage and freedom of action, where essential for national security. For reasons of national security, it would not be appropriate to publicly identify what we believe our key sovereign capabilities are.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

River Exe: Flood Control

lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 December 2016 (HL4156), whether the Environment Agency intends to support the removal by Network Rail of the three weirs on the river Exe above Exeter to reduce the risk of flooding on the rail line.

lord gardiner of kimble: The Environment Agency (EA) has been aiding Network Rail and their consultants on producing a flood and geomorphology risk assessment on the proposal to remove the three weirs near Cowley Bridge. The EA has provided all the local flood history, river flow and river state data that it has, and the required specification and scenarios that any modelling results must produce. Once this report is submitted, the EA will assess the impact on third parties and the environment in terms of flood risk and environmental impacts. The EA will also assess the impact, if any, on the new flood defence scheme currently being built in Exeter. The EA recently issued flood risk activity permits for the Network Rail improvement to the flood culvert under the railway upstream of Cowley Bridge. The culvert works are expected to be completed during summer 2018 and will reduce flood risk to the railway.

Environmental Health

lord krebs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe impact of the withdrawal and archiving of guidance by Defra, as part of its Smarter Guidance Review, on the ability of local authority environmental health officers to deal effectively and appropriately with statutory nuisances.

lord gardiner of kimble: Issues that could be ‘statutory nuisances’ are local issues best dealt with at a local level. The Government believes that current legislation provides local authorities with the necessary powers to deal with statutory nuisances and does not consider it appropriate to provide ‘best practice’ guidance to local authorities. Local authorities need to be able to take account of local circumstances when determining how best to apply the powers available to them. Detailed guidance was withdrawn under the 2010-2015 government’s Smarter Guidance review and replaced with user-friendly general guidance setting out the duties of local authorities under the statutory nuisance regime. The Smarter Guidance review was part of the Red Tape Challenge and was launched in response to a detailed review that found a lack of clarity between legal obligation and an accumulation of ‘best practice’ guidance which, in many cases, could be better provided by other bodies. The Smarter Guidance review therefore consulted on proposals to simplify guidance to focus on legal obligations. This consultation process sought views on user needs, including those of environmental health officers (EHOs). EHOs therefore had an opportunity to express any views about the impact of the guidance changes on their ability to perform their role before a final decision was taken on whether or not to revise or archive specific documents.

Home Office

Edward Heath

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 1 March, whether they have the power to set up a judge-led review of the report of the Chief Constable of Wiltshire into the allegations against Sir Edward Heath.

baroness williams of trafford: The Operation Conifer report is an operational matter for the local police force. It is a vital principle at the heart of British policing that police carry out their duties free of political interference.It is for the locally elected Police and Crime Commissioner to decide how best to hold his force to account. The Police and Crime Commissioner has the power to commission a review if he considers it appropriate.

Exclusion Orders

lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals are currently subject to exclusion orders from the UK; and whether their names are available online to all immigration officers so that they can be prevented from re-entering the UK.

baroness williams of trafford: The last Annual Transparency Report on Disruptive and Investigative Powers published in February 2017, reports the number of individuals excluded between 11 May 2010 and 31 December 2015. These exclusion cases primarily cover national security, unacceptable behaviour (such as extremism), international relations or foreign policy, and serious and organised crime. The transparency report February 2017 is attached for reference.Additional exclusions from the UK are made following convictions for broader categories of criminality, these statistics are not currently published and cannot be provided without a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.The next Annual Transparency Report, covering data for 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017, is due for publication in Spring 2018.All exclusion orders are recorded on a UK watch list which is available to immigration officers.



Annual Transparency Report - February 2017
(PDF Document, 1.2 MB)

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Prime Minister on 28 February (HC Deb, col 823) that “no UK Prime Minister could ever agree to” the draft withdrawal text published by the EU Commission, how they plan to advance negotiations for withdrawal from the EU.

lord callanan: It remains our shared aim to reach agreement on the entire Withdrawal Agreement by October. This is a negotiation and you would not expect us to be in absolute agreement at this stage.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Culture, Practices and Ethics of the Press Inquiry

baroness hollins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total number and proportion of direct respondents to their consultation on the Leveson Inquiry Part 2 and section 40 who (1) wrote unique or individual letters or emails, (2) sent in coupons cut out from newspapers, (3) sent in pro-forma, standard or identical email responses, and (4) provided other responses; and for each of those categories, how many were in favour of their preferred options for (a) section 40, and (b) Leveson Part 2.

lord keen of elie: The Government received 174,730 direct responses to the consultation and two petitions, offering a vari­­­ety of views. Of the direct responses, 79 percent were in favour of full repeal, compared to 7 percent who favoured full commencement. A full breakdown of responses can be found in the government response.